Chapter 292: This Is Called Fate

“Oh, it triggered right now?”

Feng Xue, who had been studying vital force, suddenly had an inspiration and stopped what he was doing; the books he kept in the library were all consecrated ritual objects, especially those recording genuine cultivation methods, which bore embedded trigger mechanisms that would stir a response in Feng Xue after prolonged reading.

But Feng Xue’s original intent was merely to observe players interested in this field, to see whether they underwent any changes.

Yet at this very moment, Feng Xue could not help but change his mind.

There was no way to ignore it—just as Kitodora had generated an anomaly in vital force, someone had begun studying magical texts; it was impossible not to draw a connection.

“Could this really be an effect from the real world?”

Thinking this, Feng Xue decided to test it out; he immediately adjusted his attire, reverting to his “cultivator Feng Xue” appearance, and prepared to depart.

“Uh, isn’t Miss Birelle supposed to be coming?” Xiao Lingdang reminded him as Feng Xue moved toward the door, but Feng Xue merely waved his hand and said:

“When she arrives, grant her Xu Kequan. I’ve gone through the process so many times, she should know how by now.”

With that, Feng Xue performed a Spirit Ghost Transport Technique, and in a flash, vanished entirely…

But before he’d taken two steps, the small bat that was Birelle crashed to the ground with a thud, squawking loudly:

“Kitodora! Kitodora! Let me use that…”

“Miss Birelle, the Master has gone to Yin Yi Village, but he has granted you Xu Kequan—if you need to, you may perform the ritual directly.” Xiao Lingdang’s virtual projection drifted forth, interrupting Birelle; upon hearing this, Birelle froze for a moment, then asked:

“Where’s the ghost?”

“Miss Moying went with the Master; unlike me, she can’t create so many projections.” Xiao Lingdang answered obediently, but Birelle began frantically scratching her head:

“Are you kidding me? What good is just you?”

…

“Refining essence into Qi, refining Qi into spirit… are they really one and the same? And does cultivation in the early stages really shorten one’s lifespan? It feels incredibly dangerous…”

Inside the library, the research fanatic, after taking screenshots and saving them, finally began reading carefully—but as he continued, his expression grew increasingly grave.

At this moment, he suddenly recalled a common claim online: that many cultivation techniques on the internet were real, but ordinary people exhausted themselves daily and could never quit their jobs to cultivate, let alone sustain it for decades.

He had once strongly agreed with this view, and now, after seeing this cultivation primer, the feeling was even stronger.

Even for cultivation, spending twenty years might still not guarantee success—and it could even shorten one’s life. Could this possibly be promoted in the modern world?

“Could this damn game actually be some cultivator’s attempt at passing down his lineage?”

Suddenly, the research fanatic had this thought; though it sounded absurd at first, upon closer reflection, it seemed to carry some logic.

After all, players who had the time to waste on this kind of time-sink MMORPG were, one and all, wealthy and idle—meaning they likely had the capacity to quit their jobs and cultivate.

And the magical training in Yin Yi Village was almost certainly meant to test insight and talent, just as the old NPC had said: cultivation requires moral character; without it, cultivation is useless.

As for why cultivation content was only now being integrated after the game had been running so long… first, it might simply require time; when the game first launched, many players came just to experience it, or were drawn by the idea of earning money like in online novel games, and only after one or two updates did that artificial enthusiasm gradually fade.

Second, perhaps immortal cultivators perceive time differently from mortals; observing a group for five to ten years to assess potential might be as trivial to them as a normal person spending two or three weeks—or even two or three days.

As the saying goes, suspicion makes one see theft in every gesture; once a thought takes root, one begins actively seeking evidence to support it.

The research fanatic was now trapped in this loop; in his eyes, everything seemed to confirm his theory—yet…

“Twenty years… I don’t even know what I’ll be doing in twenty years!” The research fanatic sighed; though he wanted to claim he was a man of perseverance, in truth, he was just an ordinary person. Though his current job was relatively easy, who could say whether he’d be unemployed in a few years?

But thinking of this, he suddenly recalled Professor Wang—

“Of course! If that artifact ritual truly works in the real world, maybe I could land a job with Professor Wang—then I could cultivate… wait, no! This isn’t cultivation! This is research! And maybe I could even get funding and subsidies!”

At this thought, the research fanatic suddenly grew excited, his mind spiraling—until, just as a foolish grin spread across his face, a voice came from behind:

“I didn’t expect anyone would notice these details.”

“Ah!” The research fanatic was jolted from his fantasy, nearly leaping from his seat; seeing Feng Xue, he immediately bowed respectfully:

“Senior…”

“No need for formality. Sit.” Feng Xue smiled warmly, gently pressing his hands downward to signal the research fanatic to sit.

The research fanatic did not refuse, but internally pondered how best to ask.

Should he ask directly if these were real? Or subtly inquire about real-world cultivation taboos?

Or perhaps ask if there was a shortcut?

Though he couldn’t use Moying’s mind-reading ability, Feng Xue saw the man’s obvious distress and knew he had truly discovered something; with a thought, he spoke:

“You’re studying these basic tutorials—have you finally realized your own flaw and wish to correct it?”

“What flaw?” The research fanatic was momentarily confused, but then quickly caught on and replied:

“Please, Senior, teach me!”

“Easy, easy.” Feng Xue nodded, his tone relaxing slightly, then spoke slowly:

“Others cultivate life but neglect nature; you youngsters, desperate for quick results, neglect both life and nature. You may gain temporary combat power, but it’s not sustainable. In a few years, you’ll suffer the Five Heavens’ Decline—you won’t even manage to become a ghost immortal, let alone attain true enlightenment!”

“But it’s just a game character!” The research fanatic didn’t care about that—but he truly wanted to cultivate in the real world, so he immediately pressed:

“Then is there still hope for me?”

(End of Chapter)